I grew up surrounded by dogs — quiet, steady, wise presences that shaped my childhood. From them, I received what I often couldn’t find in my family or among my friends at school. At least, that’s how it felt to me at the time. Through dogs, I learned the first lessons of love, trust, and pure connection — uncorrupted and real.
The Professional World of Dogs
When I entered the professional world, I did so with open eyes and full dedication. As a groomer and professional dog handler, I worked across the globe with dogs whose careers were worth millions. Their health, peace, safety, and performance in the show ring were my responsibility. I knew exactly what I was doing — and why. I was a professional.
But in that professional relationship, there was distance — connection without emotional entanglement. That’s how champions are raised: with respect, not attachment.
Titto — The Dog Who Changed Everything
When I stepped away from the industry in 2015, Titto entered my life. Not a champion. Not a project. Just a being I connected with — not as a professional, but as a man, with all my flaws and vulnerabilities.
Titto arrived at a time of personal and professional crisis. In that emotional vacuum, he became everything — my anchor, my comfort, my constant presence.
A Dog Is Not an Accessory: How Human Emotions Shape a Dog’s Body and Behavior
Titto by the water in nature
When Love Becomes a Burden
What I didn’t see was how I had unconsciously projected my own need for safety and validation onto him. Neighbors would call to tell me he was trying to jump out the window. He lost nearly all his fur; his body reacted as if it were in constant danger. I was lost — full of doubt and shame. How could a professional of my experience make such a mistake?
Awakening and Transformation
That was the moment of awakening. I began to change how I spoke publicly — telling my students that not everything is as it seems. That they don’t need to come to my seminars to ‘be like me,’ because the world under the spotlight often hides deep sadness and loneliness.
For that honesty, I finally found courage. Titto was the dog who turned everything around.
A New Understanding of the Human–Dog Relationship
I began exploring the deeper bond between humans and dogs — and discovered a world I had never known before: a world of true love and harmony, to which I later devoted my life.
A Dog’s Stuffy Nose – Causes and Natural Remedies
Sasha Riess and Titto in the car
Love Without Order — A Destructive Force
That painful experience opened a new understanding. Through personal development, I came to know the principles of the Order of Love. I realized that love without order does not sustain life.
The Morphogenetic Field and Species Resonance
Every species has its own dynamic — its own morphogenetic resonance, as described by Dr. Rupert Sheldrake: a field of memory and habit that shapes behavior within the species itself.
But what happens when we pull a dog into the human system, under rules that aren’t his own? He becomes a substitute — a therapist, a child, a partner — and his body begins to express the symptoms of destructive love.
The Order of Harmony — Returning to Natural Balance
From this realization came The Order of Harmony — an understanding that even between species, invisible systems exist. When these natural laws are broken, chaos follows. From that awareness were born the Pure Love & Harmony movement and my guidebook — a path toward balance between humans and dogs.
Why a Dog Comes When the Soul Is Ready: A Spiritual Connection
Titto resting on the bed
A Meeting with Dr. Sheldrake
I had the honor of discussing these discoveries with Dr. Sheldrake himself. He told me, ‘Sasha, this is a fascinating discovery — pioneering work. It’s incredible how you’ve connected two worlds and opened a door to a deeper understanding of our relationship with the natural world.’
When a Dog’s Behavior Reveals Our Inner State
Today, my work focuses on how a dog’s behavior reflects our inner state. A dog’s problems are never isolated — they mirror the relationship within the family system.
In families where the dog doesn’t have its rightful place, we often see chronic stress, behavioral issues, allergies, skin problems, autoimmune reactions, digestive disorders, and systemic illness.
When the Dog Becomes What’s Missing
In therapeutic work, I’ve noticed a common pattern: dogs often enter families before or after major emotional events — loss, divorce, trauma, or even abortion. The owner says, ‘This dog is everything to me,’ or ‘He’s my angel.’ And in that moment, the dog becomes everything he was never meant to be.
Sasha Riess and Titto on a walk
The Solution — Restoring the Dog’s True Place
Healing doesn’t begin with ‘fixing’ the dog — it begins with understanding the system. When the owner realizes that the dog cannot heal their pain, the dog is finally freed.
That’s when love stops suffocating and begins to see. Only then can a dog simply be — and that is enough.
So next time you ask, ‘Why is my dog doing this?’ or ‘Why did my dog get sick?’ try asking instead: ‘Who or what is my dog replacing?’ That’s where true healing begins — through love that respects boundaries, place, and dignity. A love that doesn’t destroy, but creates the future.
At Integrative and Holistic Grooming Education, we believe that every physical symptom is a message. Understanding these signals and addressing them through a holistic lens is at the heart of everything we teach to ensure the well-being of every dog in our care.